The insertion of a large gauge needle or an intravenous (I.V.) catheter can be a frightening and painful experience. The sight alone of the large gauge needle is enough to cause a patient to become anxious and tense. The patient's reaction causes his muscles to become tense and hard, making needle penetration difficult and painful.
Typically, the I.V. needle must be inserted into a vein along the forearm or on the back of a hand. It is not uncommon for a first attempt to insert the I.V. needle to fail because it is difficult to locate a vein in some patients. As a result, further painful probing is often required to find the vein and insert the needle. After insertion, an I.V. catheter may remain in place for an extended period of time. The site of penetration may remain painful due to the pulling and stretching of the catheter. As a result, the patient may be subject to pain and suffering repeatedly and needlessly. It is therefore in the best interest of the patients and medical and health professionals that the patient's pain and fear associated with I.V. needle and other large gauge needles are addressed.
An additional concern for today's medical and health professionals and staff is the possibility of contracting infectious blood-borne diseases through accidental contact with used needles. Measures, guidelines and legislation for the safe handling and disposal of used needles and syringes have been prescribed. Some needle retraction and shield mechanisms have been heretofore proposed to remove the needle point from possible exposure and contact with personnel after use. However, these devices often require the user to affirmatively actuate or initiate the mechanism to retract or shield the needle, which renders the device ineffective in some instances where the user is either careless, forgetful, or in a rush such as in emergency situations, for example. Other proposed devices require a two-handed operation to retract or cover the needle, which makes these devices inconvenient to use in many instances.